Projects: Healing the Wounds of Violence in Iraq

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the country has been the theater of frequent, indiscriminate and deadly attacks on the civilian population. The extreme insecurity in Iraq has drastically limited the work of journalists and humanitarian organizations in recent years. The end of American military presence in Iraq, and a painful chapter in the country’s history, has left Iraq's healthcare system in ruins. Hospitals and medical facilities have been devasted, medicine and medical equipment are lacking and doctors and specialized medical personnel have been forced to flee the country. Victims of violence in Iraq are hastily treated in emergency rooms and rarely get the treatment that they require. The subjects of this story are being treated in a program run by Médecins Sans Frontières in Amman, Jordan that helps victims of violence from throughout the region who are unable to obtain the medical attention that they need in their own country.